To Woo a Siren
by Lin of Ling Chow
Summary: He enjoyed a good puzzle, and though this one had been dropped on his lap he found himself a bit hesitant to disentangle the knot that was her. He didn't trust the motivations of his cousin and brother. This is obviously a multi-chapter fic now, rating stays cause I dunno where its gonna go.
1. Chapter 1

Wow, it has been years since I was on here. Please do not read my previous story it is embarrassing!

I had a plot bunny hit me recently, and when I went to write it down I realised that it fit so nicely with these Naruto characters, it also features a pairing I am quite fond of.

I do not own Naruto.

The Ballroom was glorious, lights dim, just how the demon guests liked it, the opulent displays of wealth in the décor, just hinting to the power and wealth of the hosts. Celebrations such as this were rare in the larger demon population, parties and balls were more of a fairy or elf preference. And the lighter species reveled in joyful occasions.

As it was, this party was for the Eldest demon prince of the northern realms. Supposedly turning one hundred was sufficient reason to celebrate, though he could hardly see that his managing to live a century was any reason, after all his father was well past three…. Centuries that is. He was somewhat resigned to being the scape goat for his mother's desire to show off to her peers and invite those from neighboring territories. Though he did resent the participation that required of him for the occasion.

The guests had begun arriving a week ago, and he had been weary of the proceedings before even the night, of which he was the honored guest, had managed to come around.

As it was, he surveyed the scene laid out before him. He sat on a raised dais along with his family and select friends, though most of them had gone to mingle when the food had been finished and the tables cleared away. He sipped an interesting drink brought by one of the guests as a gift to him, the alcohol was paltry at best, and he had a thought that he may have to request something stronger to see him through the night. Keeping a pleasant façade with so many powerful, potentially spoiled demons, vampires, werewolves and other ilk was imperative. Pleasant meaning that at the very least he not let his indifference to their presence grow into something violent. He had superb control over his temper, but with the amount of arrogant self importance circling the room his guise was a bit thin.

Another Alpha stepped forward from the crowd, the third tonight, gifting the prince with a rare hunting amulet. He loudly proclaimed the magical properties of said amulet, that his adversaries present in the room may hear him over the hum of chatter in the room and be impressed.

Itachi merely nodded in thanks, pale face and dark eyes carefully clean of what he truly thought of such posturing.

"And now" Shisui, his cousin, stepped forward, voice louder even than the werewolf before him, he clapped his hands to gain attention to himself and a modicum of silence fell over the large room. "For the illustrious Itachi-kou, a present to match the occasion." Itachi knew his brow was furrowing in irritation. Shisui looked much too pleased with himself, and in Itachi's experience, the mischievous demon could only be up to no good.

Shisui swept a hand in the direction of the side entrance to draw the eyes of the crowd to Sasuke, Itachi's younger brother. He directed a little creature by the shoulders, some sort of pixie species if the pink hair of the little thing was any indication.

Itachi was fighting now to keep from glaring, and if the smug look on his little brother's face was anything to go by, Sasuke knew it.

She was dressed to reveal the smooth skin of her stomach. The shape of her legs hinting through the cloth of her loose silk trousers, drawn tight low on her hips, flaring in loose folds until once again being drawn in about her ankles, dainty feet bare. Her chest was decorated to attract attention jewels flashing, and the white and gold of her outfit complementing the gold of her skin tone and the soft blush of her hair color. Flowers were placed carelessly among locks of pale pink that cascaded nearly to her knees.

Her head was ducked but when they came to a stop before the dais Sasuke raised it with a hand under her chin.

It was then that the true nature of his brother and cousins jest came to him. This was not some pretty little pixie or perhaps some fey that they had thought would give him some fun but rather a Siren, seductress of the sea. Wrapped and presented neatly to him with all but a bow.

He was rather mum on his choice preferences of women. It was an issue that the co-conspirators in this plan enjoyed teasing him in. He had received women as gifts in time past, beautiful samples of the female persuasion that he had had nothing but scepticism for. They merely did not interest him. It now seemed as if the pair of them had taken his disinterest as a personal challenge to find one which did in fact satisfy him.

And of course, they had presented her here so that he could not shun the gift and give the refusal he wished to. Accepting her would only encourage their attempts to 'appease' his appetite, something he most certainly did not wish to do, but alas, he had no choice.

How they had managed to subdue a Siren, and where they had managed to find the elusive creature he had no desire to know. The faint blush on her cheeks that no makeup could replicate, as well as the glassy eyed look she held spoke to the fact that she was under some kind of drug or thrall. Most likely the former given that the beautiful species held a strong resistance to magical persuasion of nearly any kind.

So Itachi just smoothed his expression, nodded his head in thanks as he had with all the other gifts presented. Shisui flashed a grin, that said he knew exactly how vexed his younger cousin was with him at that moment before motioning forward a guard.

"Take her to the prince's chambers" He ordered. The guard bowed in acknowledgment and led the girl off by the delicate gold chains linked to her wrists.

Shisui came to flop in the chair next to Itachi, his posture hardly suited to one of his station, but then he had never been one to care, and took full advantage of the somewhat lax rules of etiquette within the demon court.

The buzz of the room returned. Several more came forward to present gifts, which Itachi dutifully acknowledged, before the music for dancing became the focal point of attention. Itachi was relieved that the attention had shifted elsewhere and he leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes, wishing now for something a little stronger than the human sake.

"You will like this one." Shisui said finally. Itachi flashed him a sceptical look that also managed to convey his irritation. "You will!" Shisui assured him. "She is a puzzle, and I know you can't resist those" Itachi didn't bother to gift that statement with a response, Shisui was looking for a reaction, and the fastest way to get rid of him would be to deny him one.

There was a lengthy pause between them as they observed the dancing, it was another fay custom that had taken root in the demon realms. Itachi couldn't understand why.

"Found her down south, in one of the human cities" Shisui began again. He was dying to share, hoping to pique his cousins interest and get him wanting to know, Itachi wouldn't play his game. Curiosity was more Shisui's thing and Itachi had managed to reel him into more than one scheme using the very same method he was trying to utilize on him now. "Has some interesting hunter magic on her, couldn't begin to unravel it myself." He was sweetening the pot now. "Let me know if you manage to remove that curse of hers, I would be most curious as to how you managed it." He paused before standing to his feet and striding down the steps and into the crowd, off to woo the ladies.

Itachi would never admit it, never let it show that his attention had indeed been captured. Hunter magic was an incredibly delicate thing, not tied to an element like most other magic. Instead it ran on a balance of spiritual energy as well as physical energy. It made it incredibly hard to detect and also to reverse. He had always loved a good puzzle, Shisui and Sasuke knew this. And now he had that niggling curiosity to go view the curse himself.

Of course, Shisui and Sasuke would no doubt be watching to see if he made for an early exit now. He sighed, he had planned to make an escape as soon as was possible, but now he would have to stick around, if only to spite those two.

He waved off a human slave offering more of the sake, and stood. He went to mingle with the guests like a good host. Greeting most especially those of the Hyuuga, and the Senju, demon clans with which they interacted the most. It was best to keep relations with them…..pleasant. Demon politics could be tricky, it was best to show a strong face or risk starting one of the squabbles that seemed to crop up every thirty or forty years among the various demon clans. However, at the level at which the Uchiha, Hyuuga, and Senju functioned it could be nothing short of an all-out war. There hadn't been a war like that between the high clans since the Sabuka had been all but wiped out in the last one almost seventy years previous.

It was not long before he once again found himself off to the side, away from the hub and centre of discussion. Next to him stood Neji, a Hyuuga, one of the few outside of his own clan that Itachi could actually enjoy a conversation with. This time though they stood silent, watching the proceedings sipping drinks that catered to their more demonic tastes.

It was well past midnight when he finally deemed it acceptable to leave. He dismissed the more overt advances of Karin Senju, offering one's bed and body as a birthday present was not only the height of arrogance but also made him leery of to who else she had offered herself to gain favor.

His quarters were undisturbed save for the little siren sleeping off the effects of the drug in her system. She laid atop the lavish bedspread, a creature of incredible beauty, all sleek curves and sun-kissed skin, pale pink hair spread in reckless abandon about her. He had seen only a handful of them in his one hundred years but the impression they had left had been what helped him identify her species moments after looking into her eyes.

They had human features for all intents and purposes, the rounded ears and faces. But the quality of their beauty most definitely stemmed from their eyes, large, hers were green he remembered. Something about their magic drew you into them and you forgot to breath. Their thrall was powerful and many powerful specimens of every species had fallen prey to the combined trap of both their physical beauty and their powers of suggestion.

It was also said that to hear them sing was pure bliss, pleasure in its highest form. This was one of the chief reasons hunters sought them out, the second being their beauty, if one could balance the danger they posed to be worth obtaining such a prize. The knowledge did make him curious as to the circumstances is cousin and brother had obtained her, but he would never give either of them the satisfaction of asking. Besides Shisui was horrid at keeping any information he deemed of any value to himself, it was only a matter of waiting him out.

A delicate golden manacle was attached to one ankle which had been secured by an equally delicate gold chain to one of the legs of his large bed. No doubt the metal was imbued with some spell or another and would be much stronger than its appearance suggested.

Carefully he tugged the blankets out from under her, tucking them over and around her to ward off the chill of the room. Then he went about his nightly rituals, eventually shucking his clothing and crawling into bed also.

He would certainly enjoy this one. She was a rare specimen indeed, and if she did have a curse as Shisui had suggested well…..He intended to savor studying this. It had been a long time since he had had a project, and though he didn't intend on informing Shisui, he would make her his next one. They were after all an incredibly unknown race. What of reality had blurred together with fiction to make them the legend that sailors talked about around their tankards? All wished to see one, but knew such a viewing would most likely spell their death.

Oh, yes, he was going to have a good deal of fun separating truth from fiction. But one thing was certain Shisui would never know, Sasuke neither, if there was one trait that boy shared with their elder cousin it was the inability to keep a secret in the truest sense of the word, he had always been so easy to read since he was a small child. A fact he enjoyed reminding him of often.

So in my brain this story has potential to go somewhere, but my mind and motivation do not always see eye to eye, I will leave it open for the possibility of continuation but for now it is a not too bad one-shot.

Reviews help with motivation, I'm just saying.


	2. Chapter 2

Ya'll are lucky, here is another installment.

I don't own the characters, but the plot is all mine. I like to inspire people to write fantasy fiction, however steeling my plot is not inspiration, if you don't have enough skill or drive to make your own story, why bother?

Enjoy

He awoke to a faint tapping and a feeling of disconcertion that brought him to alertness in an instant, brushing aside the pleasant lure of magic that called him to sleep just a little longer. Propping himself up on an elbow he observed the head of pink hair bent in concentration.

She sat on the floor, the dagger that he normally kept under his pillow wielded in one hand, carefully chipping away at the enchanted gold chain binding her to the bed. She was being marginally successful too, the weapon was imbued with his blood magic which would do some damage to just about anything, except for him off course, it could not harm its maker.

"Working on the bed might go faster" he suggested after a moment of watching her chip away at the metal. She startled, tensing in her crouch and bringing the dagger up in a defensive position, though it would do her no good against him.

He observed her for a long moment, taking in the traces of fear that flashed through her eyes, careful not to get sucked into the magic that automatically sought to pull him into them to succumb to her lure. She was apprehensive of his presence, scared of what he might be and of what he wanted from her. But there was the quiet dignity of one who would defend herself, one who had done it before and knew more than a few tricks.

"Do you have a name" He asked finally. She just stared at him, jaw set, expression unchanging. She was very cute, adorable really, a strange thing to associate with a creature that was supposed to be all smooth seduction, and sleek curves.

He levered himself up so he was sitting. "Perhaps I should just give you one then." His tone was light, trying to encourage her to speak. He studied her again, this time thoughtful. She raised her chin in defiance a tilt of the chin that allowed him to see the curse that Shisui had mention, or at least its calling card. A seal on the underside of her jaw smaller than the end of his thumb.

It made sense, her most powerful weapon would be her voice, if one wished to subdue her then taking away that weapon would certainly be the best way. She was very much like a declawed kitten without that song, still willy and hard to catch but harmless, at least to the likes of him.

"I see" he mused mostly to himself. With quiet grace, he rose from the silk sheets, she gasped and skittered backwards, till she hit the end of her chain and slipped onto her behind. She kept the dagger up in front of her, the only defence she had left. He strode forward unperturbed by her reaction, with a flick of his wrist the dagger flew from her grip to his hand, he tossed it behind him onto the bed.

Crouching before her he grabbed her chin to observe the seal better, fending off one arm and grabbing her more dominant hand to quell her physical reaction.

She hissed at him, furious at his man handling.

"Peace kitten, I mean you no harm" She wrenched her chin free and tried to bite him. He actually chuckled "and she bites too". He released her but stayed crouched, observing. She wriggled away from him, moving at the end of her chain to find the corner where the bed met the wall. She cowered there, breathing hard and glaring at him.

It was then he realised perhaps part of the reason she was so disconcerted was that he was naked. He could imagine it was hard to believe that a man had innocent intentions when thus unclothed.

So, he went to find some pants, and perhaps some breakfast for the both of him, he wanted her cooperation. So perhaps some sort of bribery was in order.

It was also a good time to start plotting how he was going to start research on her species without letting Shisui and Sasuke know. He could really only foresee that being a difficulty for as long as their curiosity held out, they would soon loose interest in their teasing and Itachi would be free to peruse all avenues without fear of encouraging them.

He returned with a tray filled with an array of foods. His diet was preferential toward protein, but he had no idea what it was she would like so he brought a variety of fruit also. Retrieving food from the kitchens himself was not an odd occurrence for him however with so many guest around and about the castle this morning it became a tricky task. He was loath to be noticed and then stopped, especially when he had not bothered to throw on more than a loose-fitting pair of lounge pants.

He gently placed the tray on the ground not too far from her and sat down cross legged behind it. She had retrieved the dagger, doing more damage to the chain, though she was still some ways off from managing her freedom.

He pushed the tray closer to her so it was an equal distance from the both of them before snagging a piece of sausage for himself. He made a gesture that encouraged her to eat, but she just sat there for a long while, observing the situation while he too took the opportunity to study her. He was careful not to let his scrutiny become too intense, or he would spook the skittish creature more than he already had managed.

Finally, her hand darted forward to grab her own morsel from the tray, eyes watching him all the while. They ate in silence and the food was nearly gone when she leaned back in a manor that seemed to communicate she had had her fill.

Moving slowly once again, he rose and took the tray to where the servants would find it later.

"If you tell me your name I will take that off for you" he bargained when he had sat back down again facing her. She looked him over with distrust, before sliding her ankle out in his direction.

Carefully grasping her dainty foot, he turned it to examine the enchantments carved on the gold manacle. Inserting his magic just so, the little clasp in the side popped open and it fell to the floor. Immediately she tried to withdraw but he held fast.

"your name" he insisted. She paused again, before her mouth carefully enunciated the syllables so that he would be able to interpret what she said.

"Sakura?" she nodded once to confirm that was correct. "It does make sense with that hair" he mused even as he allowed her to yank her foot back.

He was somewhat reluctant to leave her, he really itched to take a closer look at that seal. But there were guests he had to see to and the noon meal would be served soon, it would be best if he made an appearance. A good spar with Hyuuga Neji would not be amiss either, he would in fact enjoy that.

Company was as he expected it. Crossing blades with said Hyuuga was invigorating as usual. The eyes that observed were tolerated, he supposed that watching their spar was deemed to be a good method of entertainment by some of their guests. Either that or their vast gardens, libraries, plays, orchestra, games of riding and of the slower more of the board variety was dull in comparison to watching their clash of blades, as well as the occasional tia-jutsu match.

Itachi got a bit of sadistic pleasure out of beating Shisui black and blue, perhaps it would beat out his cousin's tendency to make Itachi the target of his mischief, though he rather doubted it. Shisui still managed to flash him a cheeky smirk up from where Itachi had knocked him to the ground, he knew why Itachi was so out of sorts with him and knew that this was the best and probably the only reaction he would get.

Sasuke was strangely absent, he never missed the opportunity to go rough and tumble against a good opponent. But then again Senju Karin and her cousin Ami lounged nearby on cushions, eyeing the showmanship with no lack of appreciation for the sweaty skin bared before them. The eyes were…. uncomfortable. he hated being the centre of attention and once again he was boggled by the fact that his mother saw fit to make him the focus of this, it was ridiculous.

So, when he felt he had paid his due diligence he went for a quick flight. Keeping his form magic locked in a more human appearance for long periods made his sealing tattoos itch and he became overly restless. It helped calm his irritation to feel the wind against the red and black scales of his wings, to clear his thoughts and reign in his discomfiture at the proceedings. He was thankful that the charade of last night was over and that the guests would begin to disperse now.

Landing on his balcony he noticed that glass doors were already open, a strange occurrence. Immediately he was intrigued, ducking his head in past the curtains confirmed his suspicion. Somehow the little Siren had managed to pop the enchantments holding the door closed. His assessment of her abilities would have to be rethought.

His nose found her quickly, slinking along the edges of the roof from the shadow of one carved gargoyle to another. She spotted him stalking her rather too quickly for his tastes, its too bad, he would have preferred to observe her for a few more moments. She had obviously been through his drawers and helped herself to one of his shirts, tying the too long sleeves back from her hands and the to long edge of the bottom in a knot at one hip.

She immediately hissed her displeasure at him and he found she once again had his dagger clenched in one hand.

"If you were going to fight me, it would be best to find yourself a different weapon" he observed. As before he flicked a finger and the dagger flew to him, she just bared her teeth, conveying in actions what she could not in words.

He snatched her off of her gargoyle perch in a flurry of scaled wings, coasting the short distance back to his balcony as she wriggled and squirmed. He made as if to drop her, chuckling when suddenly she was clinging to him to keep from being dropped to a rather grisly fate. It was a long way to the ground.

Back in his suit he set her feet on the ground and she wrenched herself from his grasp, chest heaving face flushed red with anger. He had the impression that if she had her voice she would be chittering at him like an agitated squirrel. He smirked at her angry countenance amused by the comparison. It only served to make her more furious, she whirled around but he caught her wrist before she could stomp away.

"Oh, no you don't. If you are going to sneak about like a mouse I need some way to keep track of you" gripping both her dainty wrists in one long fingered hand he tugged her over the dresser. He opened a drawer or two looking for something in a calm manor that denied her resistance. Eventually he withdrew a pair of thin silver bracelets.

Fastening them on her wrists took a bit of finagling as she struggled against him. She was very limited in using magic against him here, he had sunk many suppression spells into the walls over the years. Not to mention Uchiha magic that had been wove into the palace for centuries that would restrict any not of the Uchiha bloodline in using here. As it was the claws of her demon form manifested and tiny almost-fangs formed in her mouth but she could cast no spells. It was the reason he had been so puzzled as to how she had managed to break the warding on his balcony doors, there couldn't possibly be a weakness he had over looked.

He released her abruptly and she stumbled back, barely avoiding landing on her rear.

"Now you may roam as you please, though I do warn you against making a spectacle of yourself before the guests. And don't try to leave, you will find it futile." He instructed. His warning may not be heeded, it was highly likely he would have to go hunting for her on more than one occasion, but the bracelets would see that it would be quick and painless affair.

He had no wish for a prisoner, really his only real interest in the pretty little thing was in the seal. Examining her would be easier if she was a willing participant, trust could be garnered through freedom.

As first born, and heir to the title of clan head, his work load was heavy. Politics, organization and decision making, that one day he would be taking the full weight of. The valleys surrounding their mountainous abode was cultivated by sprits of various nature and form along with a good mix of humans. They paid a tribute to remain under the protection of the Uchiha clan, and were in turn policed by them. A mutually beneficial arrangement, though some of the peons would disagree. They were also tasked with the keeping many of the minor demon clans in line when they thought to infringe on treaties in which the Uchiha were contracted as a disciplinary force.

Usually it amounted to a lot of paper work and meetings, but occasionally it required his presence in the field. He preferred such duties but he knew his responsibilities and did not shirk them.

In the following weeks, he found himself encumbered with said responsibilities, with not but little moments to seek her out and share little snippets of wisdom. Where to find a good book in the library, a nice section of the garden perhaps she would find interesting, small ponds in which she could enjoy her natural element, water.

He once gave her a flower carved from a ruby. She had cocked her head in question, but he had offered her no explanation, leaving her without a word to her reading in a sunny nook in the gardens.

She was not underfoot, nor did she try to escape, as he had suspected she would, even though such a feat would be difficult without wings or a steed, the castle was not in an advantageous position for escaping, high in the mountains with only one bare track leading to and from it.

She certainly had a spirit of mischief, the fun-loving nature of her species showing through. He caught her skulking in a fountain late one afternoon, he had come looking for her, rounding the corner to find her hiding in the long shadows cast by the stone maiden at the centre of the fountain. He stepped back to observe her for a moment, to understand why she hid so.

It became apparent that she was stalking Shisui in some capacity. Him and lady Anko of one of the lower tribes were meandering their way closer, it was apparent that his cousin was trying to get in good with the temperamental lady.

The pair of them came to rest at the fountains edge, absorbed so in the teasing playful banter between them, that they didn't notice the little pink haired figure crouching in the water. She waited until Shisui had turned his back, a fatal move on his part if she indeed had the capacity and will to end him, as it was he sensed no ill will.

The surge of magic was fast and gone again in a flash, before they could react to the wave of water that rose to crest over them, soaking the pair of them to the skin. Both gave angry shouts of indignation, but she was already bolting straight for the corner around which he hid.

She nearly lost the grin on her face when she all but collided with him. Quickly though she changed tactics, slipping in behind Itachi even as her two pursuers rounded the corner in hot pursuit. He abruptly found himself in the middle, and in the obvious position of peace maker.

Shisui checked his headlong rush to avoid colliding with Itachi.

"You little imp" He seethed when he had recovered a modicum of decency.

Sakura peeked out from behind Itachi one hand going to lightly grip his black shirt, though Itachi couldn't see her expression he was sure she was grinning. Her gesture of trust confounded him, he could not begin to analyze the way such an innocent motion conveyed a level of ease that he found a tad unnatural. He was in slight admiration of her lighthearted naivety.

Her level of fearlessness merely incensed Shisui further. She didn't seem to see the danger in taunting such a dangerous demon, it had been a long time since he had seen his cousin so incredibly riled, and to be honest it amused a part of him that wanted shisui to pay for all the times he himself had been on the receiving end of such tom foolery.

"I do believe that this is what they call Karma Shisui." Itachi intervened finally.

Shisui's bluster was nothing short of laughable and had Itachi been anyone else he might have indulged in the urge to do just that, as it was he just smirked at his expense. He glanced down to see Sakura stick out her tongue at the spluttering demon trying to scrape his dignity back together.

I will, at no time guarantee that this story will continue to be updated. But if it continues to escalate in reviews and readers I will be more motivated to continue on.

Constructive criticism is gold people, is this chapter worth the payment? :)


	3. Chapter 3

So to answer a few questions.

It was asked why was he naked in the last chapter? Honestly, its just cause I think him to be the type of guy that would be perfectly comfortable in his birthday suit, he's too cool for pajama's :).

Someone also asked why she didn't try to run away again? The answer is partly because Itachi obviously wasn't out to take advantage of her like she had originally been led to believe given her position as a gift, the other part you will have to wait to find out :).

Enjoy

It was only a few days later when he caught up with her in the kitchens. She had a sweet bun in each hand and one in her mouth. The sight of her when he grabbed her by the wrist and she turned to face him was humorous. Her expression still held wariness but now it was mostly surprise and question there instead of fear, he appreciated the change.

"Come" was all he said.

Confused, she shook her head slowly. She handed him one of the buns which he took and then she took his wrist and tugged in insistence that he follow her instead. He obliged after only a moments hesitation.

She led him outside to a place she could shimmy up the castle wall without being seen. That she could do see so encumbered with her sweet prize was truly a marvelous exercise in dexterity. He observed her for a moment admiring her nimble limbs before allowing his wings to burst forth by magic and his eyes to bleed red. Launching himself into the air, her grabbed her around the waist and hauled her the remaining distance to the steep roof. She shot him an indignant look when he again allowed her to regain her feet, and he was reminded of her dislike of being manhandled.

She slipped off, hardly seeming to notice the steep grade of the roof as she shimmied onto a position close to the peak. He realised then what it was she wanted to do here.

The sun was beginning to set, casting beautiful hues as it approached the mountainous horizon. She watched in rapt attention, nibbling on her sweets, enjoying the abject beauty that was creation. And he was reminded in that moment that life seemed so complicated in his mind, a never-ending maze of plot twists and puzzles to be solved. But there could be joy found in the simple things too, in the beautiful, the sweet, small pleasures in life that should not be taken for granted.

It was almost an hour that they sat there, till the sun and its colours had truly left the sky, and the true dusk of the mountains had settled around them. Then she turned and smiled at him, gesturing to the bun he still held in his hand, he should eat it. He complied and she smiled at him again.

She turned to go, but he once again snagged her wrist. Looking back, question in her eyes.

"May I see that?" He asked gently bringing his other hand up to brush her chin. In an instant wariness returned to her gaze, and he felt the need to explain himself. "I merely wish to observe it, a perhaps one day remove it if I am able." She gave him a long hard look as if assessing the truthfulness of such a claim. He did not allow his gaze to waver from hers, he did not sense magic being used but it was possible she had a truth sensing ability, or ki-sense of which he was unfamiliar with, he would allow her to use that to reassure herself.

Finally, she nodded, slowly, hesitance and apprehension clear in the tense lines of her body, though suddenly her very expressive face was wiped clean of all emotion. She allowed him to tilt her chin upward, a vulnerable position, the gesture of trust was not lost on him. Her body stiffened when his magic entered her system, and he got the impression that she was struggling valiantly with herself to keep from bringing her own magic to the fore and ejecting him violently. He felt the trembling of her magic against his, hidden and elusive against the almost solid force of his own power.

He felt the lines of the hunter magic, almost a living thing inside her. It wrapped with sharp cord of arcane spell around her vocal cords and voice box, binding it closed and completely denying her any ability to run magic through that part of her body. He found it odd to find himself relieved that she was not hurt or damaged in any way, merely bound.

The magic was complex, Shisui would have had no hope of untangling this, not to ignore the fact that he had exactly no patience to deal with anything long and tedious. When he had gleaned all the information he could by observation alone he withdrew, and she shuddered as she released the tight hold of herself she held.

She took a moment to gain control of herself before looking him in the eye again.

 _'_ _there is nothing you can do'_ Without the aid of tone it was hard to tell if she meant that as a question or as a statement. He paused to consider her, a hard resolve pressed into her features as he had observed on her when she had first come. The certainty that she could and would fight, the resolve that spoke of past experience.

"It will take time, but no spell is invincible" He replied. She shook her head.

' _No, you can do nothing about it without_ him'

"And who is he?" it would appear that she knew more than he had originally thought about this curse, perhaps she was unaware of the importance the information she actually held. Origins were important.

' _Orochimaru'._ His eyebrows rose in unconcealed surprise. Or perhaps he was wrong and she had a very good grasp of the value of such information. He gave her a searching look, and he was given the impression that she knew a lot more about their connection to the Sannin than she let on.

"Could you lead me back to him?" Itachi asked carefully, a grasp of her situation finally coming to him. He felt somewhat foolish for not at least making possible assumptions to this end earlier.

She nodded slowly, a little bit hesitant to admit it.

The Snake Sannin had been an enemy to the Uchiha clan, specifically Itachi and Sasuke since he had kidnapped Sasuke as child and attempted to use one of his soul sucking techniques on him. However, he had significantly underestimated the power of Sasuke's demon blood and the snake Sannin fell short of his goals. The foul thing had once been human, though he had given up that and his standing as a hunter long ago when he began to dabble in the forbidden arts. He drained the magic and vitality from his victims, using it to lengthen his life and increase his grasp over the arcane arts.

He was a leech plain and simple, one that had escaped the Uchiha's collective grasp for over forty years. The information they had managed to glean on him in more recent years had been sparse at best, non-existent at worst. But here was a little siren that had the potential to play the vermin right into their hands, if they played their cards right. And Itachi had absolutely no intention of allowing the snake to make an escape again.

...

"Are you certain?" Shisui's hair was mussed, from his bed. Itachi nodded in confirmation.

"It is not unlike the work he imparted upon Sasuke, though significantly more extensive. He has gotten stronger if he is able to inflict a spell like that without harm to the recipient."

"How can he do that, any blood magic he uses would be toxic?" Shisui asked, confused.

"Its not blood magic"

"Wha-…then how did you know it was the snake?"

"She told me"

"Wha-….."

"We ride out at dawn" Itachi cut him off, turning to go before Shisui's objections could reach an uncomfortable volume. He still had to inform Sasuke of their departure. There was no way that his little brother would miss out on the opportunity to bring Orochimaru down.

its short I know.

Reviews=updates


	4. Chapter 4

Just so ya'll know, I am writing this with no preconceived plot. If it looks like there are plot holes that's why, I am making this up as I go along. Let me know what they are and I will see what I can do about them in future chapters. I also am going to very limited effort to edit this, my sentence structure and the like is weak in some areas I know, I apologize. This just isn't high priority on my project scale.

There has been requests for some fluff...I don't really think this chapter counts as fluff, but this story will get there eventually if I keep on it. I am a slow builder when it comes to relationships, Itachi is not the sort of character to rush that sort of thing. Sorry, there is a limit to my skill.

Enjoy

Dawn found them mounted on black war horses, headed down the steep cliff path that led from the Uchiha castle grounds. Shisui had never been able to adjust his sleeping schedule in a hurry and being that he had a tendency to like nightlife he had not been able to go back to sleep after Itachi had woken him in the wee morning hours, because of preparations for departure. His face warned all, that he was in a foul mood. Sasuke was in a relatively good mood given their mission objective, though in spite of that, his expression almost matched that of his older cousin.

Itachi hadn't slept at all the night before, busy making arrangements so that they would be able to leave as soon as possible. He was tired, though not unduly so, and he was careful to keep any sign of it from his features, unlike his kin.

It hadn't occurred to Itachi that Sakura might not take their method of travel in good spirits until she was padding behind him on the way to the stables. He couldn't imagine why she wouldn't, but then women in general were strange creatures, and he knew next to nothing about the preferences of her species. His mother, he knew, found riding tedious. But there was no need to worry. The moment she saw the horses her entire countenance grew bright and sunny. She bounded forward, avoiding Itachi's grabbing hand as he attempted to keep her exuberance from startling the high-strung creatures.

But once again it seemed the concern was unwarranted, as several of the steeds turned to nicker at her, a strange occurrence indeed. He had been unaware the pink haired beauty had been spending large amounts of time in the stables, but she must have been, given the reaction of the steeds.

She looked almost childlike, her short stature and the riding leathers she wore made her look so young and small. But the way she leapt onto the large creatures back with a sort of nonchalant confidence exuded only the air of experience and maturity. She certainly was a conundrum.

He watched her without appearing to as they descended, taking note of her expression as she surveyed the height of the sheer cliff that dropped off to their right. It didn't seem to bother her overly much but she kept the horse as far back from the ledge as was possible.

Horses were not any Uchiha's favorite method of travel but it was easier to move incognito thusly, flying across the countryside would alert their quarry to their presence prematurely. Every species stood up and took notice when I demon darkened the sky, for generally it spelled trouble for somebody. Best to approach on the ground, where Sakura had a better chance of analyzing the terrain and retracing her steps back to Orochimaru's hideout.

It was almost noon before Itachi came to realise that Sakura hadn't been entirely forthcoming with him. She carried another spell, he could sense the slight change as it activated and grew stronger the farther they got from the wards placed on Uchiha soil. She was attempting to hide it, though given the presence of his tracking bracelets on her wrists he had already established a skin to magic link with her and could feel past the layers of warding she had begun to wrap around herself. He didn't doubt that Shisui and Sasuke were non-the wiser for her efforts.

It was dusk before they pulled up to make camp, and he could tell that whatever the spell was, it was wearing on her. She was much more subdued, tired, though that could have just been from a day of hard travel.

Itachi was quick to send both Shisui and Sasuke out to scout the area. Giving them strict orders to cloak their presence thoroughly even as they released their wings and took off. Then he turned to Sakura.

"I will ask for your honesty." He said simply "for anything less will lead to unnecessary risks" He gave her a meaningful look and she just ducked her head as she realised she had been found out. He waited patiently gaze never wavering.

' _it's a tracking spell_ ' she said finally and his eyes bled red to give him night vision so that he may read her lips in the dark.

"May I see it?" He did his best to soften his tone, he wanted this little creature's willing cooperation, he could not strong arm her into this or risk her omitting more intel in the future.

Her face blushed scarlet and she shook her head forcefully. He cocked his head at her, confused by her reaction.

"Tracking spells often involve blood magic. Because of Orochimaru's experiments his blood is toxic to any he uses it on, if that's the case it could do you irreparable harm." He explained gently, not to mention it was quite possible the snake knew exactly where she was right now if he had been monitoring the spell at all.

She hesitated at that, obviously, it was new information to her. She sighed and her head went down in defeat, a concession if he ever saw one.

It wasn't until she slowly began to undo the ties on the side of her leather leggings that he understood her reluctance. She was embarrassed to disrobe so, he suppressed the urge to smirk. If she thought he was laughing at her she would be much more difficult in the future. But it was so cute, her innocence was refreshing in more ways than one.

The mark of the seal rested on her hip bone, and he could tell it was causing her some deal of irritation given the angry red skin surrounding it. He approached slowly, so as not to startle her, reaching forward to brush a finger along the runes on her smooth skin, she flinched. He paused, glancing at her face to make sure it was okay to continue before soothing some of his own magic into the mark.

It was not as he feared. It seemed that somehow Orochimaru had managed to reverse engineer a tracking seal. Instead of injecting his own blood along with a spell into the being he wished to track. He instead took blood from her, how he had managed to manipulate her into casting a spell against herself he didn't know, but he was aware of The Snakes methods and he doubted very much it was anything short of horrifying. Anger rose in him, he had to be careful not to let it bleed into his magic as he attempted to manipulate the base of the spell. His efforts were met with very minimal results, and when he felt Sasuke returning he withdrew from her. Standing from where he had crouched before her and stepping away.

Her hand shot out and caught his wrist, tugging him back to face her. He saw the question in her eyes.

"It is not his blood magic, there is nothing to fear" he assured her. "However, I do believe that we are going to change our strategy" He was silent as sasuke landed in a flurry. "We are going to make the filth come to us" Itachi smiled, a wicked thing.

The look on Sasuke's face was suddenly very curious, he knew that expression and it meant hell if it was pointed at him, but given that his brothers target was Orochimaru, he knew that this was going to be much more fun even than he had been anticipating it would be.

…

It was more than three weeks on the road. All three of the Uchiha found the method of travel tedious, but if Orochimaru was truly tracking them as closely as Itachi suspected he was-given the monitoring spell of his own he had cast-then they could travel no faster or give away that Sakura was far from traveling alone and, or vulnerable. Sakura on the other hand did not seem to mind the travel, though she became exhausted quickly, the tracking spell drew on her constantly.

Itachi suspected that was the reason she had not attempted to leave the Uchiha palace grounds, the wards there had disabled the tracking spell. Though there must be more to it, did she not have family to get back to? Perhaps Orochimaru had gotten to them already and they were gone, he truly did not know much about the pink haired minx.

It became apparent as they traveled that her spirit of mischief was on par with Shisui's if not stronger. It seemed she held a grudge against his older cousin as he was constantly on the receiving end of her devilry, he suspected it had something to do with the manor in which she came to find herself at the Uchiha castle in the first place. Shisui was not amused.

Burrs henged into the seat of his saddle, stink weed in his canteen, all manor of uncomfortable pranks. Even Sasuke had been nearly scared out of his saddle when she abruptly dropped from the branches above him, wearing an illusion that made her look exactly like Orochimaru himself. He had been so irate with her that he had leapt after her. She considered this to be great fun and lead him on a merry chase through the tree tops, dropping down behind Itachi and using him as her last defence when her strength flagged. Shisui had laughed hard at that, glad to not be the butt of all the jokes.

Without fail, she ran to Itachi when she had irritated one of the other two past a safe level. Itachi himself was highly amused by it, and did nothing to intervene, though he had used a hard look to make Shisui or Sasuke back down when she took the liberty of using him as cover. He supposed this was the best sort of unplanned revenge one could ever ask for.

That is until one hot sunny afternoon they had paused momentarily to allow their horses to drink from a large creek that meandered its way through the valley. Shisui's horse took to the shallows and immediately set to pawing up huge waves of water, he cursed and tried to control the animal's enthusiasm. Itachi had one moment of not paying attention, allowing the reigns to run slack through his hands so that the horse could reach the water. He caught only a flash of pink before she hit him broadside, having leapt from the back of her own horse. Her momentum was enough that the pair of them were thrown from horseback to land in the water.

He was surprised that she would resort to trickery against him, who would protect her from the others if she got on his bad side too? He flipped her in the water so that she was the one beneath him, and she didn't resist, grinning up at him as if she hadn't a care in the world.

They matched gazes for a long moment and he distantly recognized that the cackling in the background was in fact Shisui. Finally, he smirked at her, and her grin got wider. He dunked her head back underwater as he stood to retrieve his somewhat startled horse. He had to admit her methods were strange, he had never had his character tested in quit that way.

There was a method to her madness, she read every move he made, analysed it all. He had to remember that she had somehow managed to escape from the Snake, foiled the wards on his room, and managed to sneak up on their other two highly trained companions repeatedly. She was most certainly clever, and that smile that she used ensured that no matter what she did, she had an appearance of innocence, it was the Siren in her that made her appear so, no allure magic necessary. Once again, he marveled at this little creature, she chose instead of sex-appeal and seduction, light hearted smiles and innocent pranks to wheedle her way into their complacency. He would have to stay alert to ensure that her 'end game' was not less innocent than she appeared.

Itachi caught Shisui sneaking a laxative herb into her dinner one night, Itachi cast him a hard look, but Shisui set his jaw and returned it with a look of his own, daring him to do something about it. As it was, Shisui was the one who trotted into the bush repeatedly that night, cursing the little Siren all the while. She was most clever indeed, it made Itachi curious as to how The Snake had managed to get his grimy hands on her.

Please review, it's like magic and produces motivation in me :)


	5. Chapter 5

I am sorry, fight scene's are not my speciality and I found myself somewhat lazy in the making of the fights in this chapter. Was it needed to make the chapter more full? Or is the abbreviated version fine? Let me know, not saying I will change it but it will make a difference to my writing in the future, I like to know what readers prefer:)

Itachi knew they were getting close. He could feel the taint of twisted blood magic on the edge of his senses. They were following the shoreline, he considered it a good place to be, given that if she was alone it would make sense that she would find the largest body of water and stay near it in case she needed to flee. Water, and lots of it would be her best defence.

They were sleeping, Sasuke was on watch when she bolted upright, eyes wide and terrified. Itachi was awake a moment later, Shisui just mumbled and rolled over.

' _He's coming'_

"How do you know?" Sasuke demanded.

"From where?" Itachi asked rising to grab his weapons and strap them to his person, it was show time. She pointed in the direction of the open water, Itachi turned to observe, eyes turning ruby red as he probed the darkness with his magic.

Sasuke kicked Shisui awake, the other started to complain loudly before the intensity of Itachi's posture registered in his mind and he went silent.

"Idiot" Sasuke muttered as he went to stand next to his brother.

"We are going for a flight" Itachi said, voice low and filled with promise of things to come. He held out a hand to the little Siren, a wordless invitation to join him. She hesitated.

' _Is that a good idea'_ He cocked his head, analysing her fear.

"Tonight, the snake dies" He said simply. He saw resolve harden in her eyes and she reached out to take his hand. He pulled her to him and took off in the same motion, leaving Sasuke and Shisui to follow his lead.

It was a ship, a large one, lanterns were lit though you could not see them unless you were within the illusion cast over the entire boat. The taint was so strong here it was almost a taste in the air, all the cloaking wards were formed using the vitality and magic stolen from other creatures, it reeked of death and decay, tasted of despair on his tongue.

They circled several times outside of the ships protective wards, their own wards and illusions cast heavy about them to avoid detection. They observed those on watch, garnering what they could of the watchmen in place that would prohibit them and raise the alarm. She was scared, her little hands fisted in the material of his shirt underneath where his sword was strapped between his wings. He had to choose deliberately to not let it distract him.

"Could you get us in?" Itachi asked Sakura. He glanced down to where she was clinging to his chest. She was chewing on her bottom lip in concentration fingers tightening absently, eventually giving a nod of affirmation. "Aim a gap at the crows nest, the wards are weaker higher up". She nodded again.

He watched carefully with his magic sense as she worked, trusting Shisui and Sasuke to watch out as they flew. It really was amazing to observe the way in which she managed to bypass perfectly functioning protection spells, fooling them into thinking she was a friend and that she meant no harm, using their automatic built in functions against them. He felt the moment there was an opening, dropping down into the crows nest through the gap, grabbing the lookout there and slicing his neck open with the talons on his wings before the man could make a sound.

Sasuke and Shisui remained outside the wards, unable to slip through the quickly closing opening she had made. Itachi signed them orders to watch, wait, and challenge the wards directly if it was necessary.

He coaxed Sakura to release him, her fear making her a tad clingy, just what had The Snake done to her? He was finding, that after this he would maybe attempt to tease some answers out of her, his curiosity and desire to disentangle knots had now extended to her as a person and not just the seals she wore on her body.

He slid out onto the cross mast still cloaked in his illusion and shadows, she followed. They observed for a moment before he felt her magic reach out to him, he observed in a distracted kind of manor as she wove her own kind of illusion, he was unable to witness the effectiveness of her work, but he suspected it was to a higher level than his own. This sneaking was her area of expertise.

He didn't see it coming though when she grabbed one of the ropes and went to slide to the deck. He followed closely, somewhat baffled by her sudden courage, and realising that perhaps they should have discussed a course of action before entering, he could not just depend on years of experience and mutually fought battles like he could with Sasuke and Shisui. So, he followed, she knew the situation on board better than him.

They landed silently on deck, Itachi was careful not rustle the air or hit the deck with a thump, she was as quiet as a wraith next to him. Those on watch were human, not able to see through their illusion.

She crept forward, releasing the locks on the doors that led to the brig and opening it enough to slip through. They slid past rows of snoring sailors swinging in their hammocks more than one of which was definitely less than human. But they were ill trained to notice the stealth of the danger posed them while they slept.

They reached the bottom most layer, the stench here was almost overpowering. There were cages, stacked crates with several creatures. He saw the sorry broken figures of several pixies, the bloody heap of what must have once been a werewolf, shackled by silver chains to the wooden wall. A white haired human adolescent, a hunter if the tattoos on his face were any indication, he was the most alert, unable to see them but sensing their magic on some level.

Sakura released her magic then, and the human suddenly scrambled to his feet. The one pixie that wasn't out cold was suddenly alert as well.

"Sakura" the white haired human breathed, awe and reverence in his voice. He didn't even seem to notice the demon that followed behind her.

' _he is here_?' she asked. He shook his head.

"No, its Kabuto"

 _'_ _Where is he?'_ she asked as she moved forward to release his him from the cell.

"I don't know, he was supposed to be here soon" She released the other prisoners as well, helping the pixie that was awake haul what must have been her kin from the other cage. The werewolf was out cold, and fell in a heap when his chains no longer supported his hanging form.

The boy stepped forward to support the werewolf, hauling an arm over his shoulder and dragging the dead weight forward with a strength that belied his half-grown form. He gave Itachi a look, but given his obvious alliance with Sakura he did not question his presence or motives.

Itachi felt the frustration of being no longer in charge of the mission. It had not been his goal to rescue victims, he wanted Orochimaru dead. Who was this Kobuto? Perhaps this night would have to be fulfilled by the killing of a mere peon of The Snake. He resigned himself to the possibility of loosing their element of surprise in this chase, Sakura seemed to think this was important so he followed her lead.

They turned back then, out of the depths of the ship, but this time there were more of them and they were not able to slink back past the rows of sleeping sailors.

The brawl was instant and explosive, sailors of every race shape and size spilling from their hammocks grabbing for weapons. Itachi had drawn his long sword and cut through a good deal of them before they even had a chance to gain their feet. His wings snapped out at his sides, filling the low space with his ominous presence. He registered the crouched form of Sakura, the long knives that he had given her had been palmed and brought to bare.

One of the men got his feet under him, Itachi twisted abruptly to avoid the spell that flew past to blast into the ships side. The force rocked the boat and he had a brief flash of worry as he lost site of Sakura in the smoke of the aftermath. No, but there she was, green eyes bright, fangs flashing in a silent snarl as her daggers danced in her fingers with a sort of skill he hadn't known her capable of.

Frustrated with the escalation of the situation he cast a wide spread genjutsue on the men, to distract them, to buy them some time that they may find themselves in the open with backup and better defensive positions.

He grabbed the pixies by the scruff with the talons on his wings and all but threw them up the steep stairs that led to the deck, Sakura caught them there and hustled them away.

"My, my, what have we here" Sakura faced the bespectacled man that spoke, her expression murderous. He smirked at her, arrogant in his countenance, that is until he saw Itachi as he burst from below deck, eyes red, wings spread, an avenging demon. Abruptly his stance changed to defensive. "Well, haven't you been busy little bird" he commented. "Making friends in very powerful places."

Very suddenly Sakura smiled at him, it was a smile of victory.

' _You don't know the half of it'_ she mouthed, before Sasuke slammed into him from behind, through the gap in the wards she had formed in those brief moments..

Even with the various enchantments the man had woven in and through him, he could not survive the hand that was driven through his chest, and he died choking on his own blood.

Shisui was wielding a wicked set of curved blades on the sailors that remained on deck.

"Move out" Itachi ordered. He sheathed his sword grabbing Sakura around the waist and one of the pint-sized pixies, before bursting into the air, trusting his brother and cousin to retrieve the other three tag-alongs. He shredded the wards as he flew through them, they were much easier to destroy from the inside.

When they had all gained sufficient distance from the vessel Itachi turned and blew his trademark black fire Amaterasu. It would ensure that there was nothing left of the vessel for Orochimaru to find. And with that he turned and headed back in the direction of their campsite.

They were still a long ways off from where they had left the horses when Itachi became aware that he would not go without meeting the Sannin on this night after all. Orochimaru was indeed waiting for them.

He placed down his burden on the beach. Sakura would be better able to defend the comatose pixie by the water, Shisui and Sasuke, likewise deposited their burdens alongside her before advancing with Itachi, staying low against the brush that grew there.

The snake didn't have time to beg for his life before he was pinned on all sides, no way to run. More likely though that they had managed to quell a last sarcastic comment, in the past it seemed that The Snake always had the last word, an imperious statement that usually was left to make his enemies reading too far into his riddles. Itachi didn't intend to allow him the opportunity for such dialogue tonight.

They had caught him by surprise, that much was obvious. He had come looking for Sakura, but they had been one step ahead of him, even with their detour to the boat it looked as though they had remained one up on him.

A cornered animal is a dangerous thing and he fought with a viciousness that all three demons had expected of him. His techniques had indeed progressed, and he hit them with everything he had. Itachi was reluctant to use Amaterasu here, if it got out of control there would be very limited ways in which they could reign in the damage it would do to the country side.

Shisui took a hard hit that no doubt broke one wing and damaged his side, but The Snake was panicking. He was good, but he was still only a human, a twisted, rank version, but still only human. And he could not stand up to the combined power of three high level demons. He fell, hissing and screaming curses on their line and descendants. Itachi burned the body, destroying any chance The Snake had of preforming the reappearing acts that he was infamous for.

There was some cheering and whooping in the background, the sole conscious pixie and the whitehaired boy were celebrating. Itachi looked back to see Sakura's reaction, she was subdued, and in the moonlight, he thought he saw the tears sliding down her cheeks in twin tracks. Strange.

He did not think that he would ever understand the reactions of the female species.

...

So let me know what you think. Drop me a line, it just takes a minute of your time :).


	6. Chapter 6

It has been asked if Sakura has her voice back now. No she doesn't. Killing the doer of damage, does not un-do damage, sorry. Life is rough;)

The white haired boy is Kimimaru, for those who wanted to know.

Also special mention to Kosmas. You were the only one who actually gave me some criticism and suggestions for improvement. Love reviews! Love reviews that point out possible improvements better!

...

They had gone to the nearest costal town, a small place with fishing boats and only one small inn that doubled as a tavern. The rooms were small, but it beat sleeping on the forest floor, at least according to a recovering Shisui. Itachi felt he might have almost preferred to avoid the nosey looks of small time villagers and sleep on the ground, it was high summer and nice warm weather.

But they had wounded for which they were now responsible, and a doctor was needed, the town boasted one of those, an accomplishment for their local. She had smelled strongly of Sake but hadn't even looked twice when her patients turned out not to be human. Her skill was astounding and he was set to wondering why she was out here, but he didn't care to know enough to find out.

He went looking for Sakura, following the direction the bracelets lit up on his senses. He found her sitting on the end of one of the docks, feet dangling into the ocean water, pink hair free of any restraint falling down her back and onto the water stained wood under her. She didn't turn to face him, even when he made no effort to disguise his approach. He reached out to run a lock of the pink silk between his fingers, a temptation he had refrained from in the past for fear of making her uncomfortable.

Finally, he sat down next to her, crossing his legs in lieu of daggling his own feet in the water. She turned to face him eventually, struggling to find words.

' _I am going to go'_ He made no indication of how he felt about such a statement, his body remained calm and relaxed.

"Where will you go?" he asked after a pause. She searched his face, looking for something, understanding maybe. She shrugged, uncertain.

' _To look for a home'_

"What of your old home?" he asked gently.

' _Gone, he-…._ ' She just shook her head, unwilling to elaborate, face so full of sorrow. He only nodded.

"I will come looking for you when I find a way to remove this" he placed two fingers against the seal under her chin. Her lips quirked in a small smile, grateful for his understanding.

' _You had better, lest I think a demon's word mean nothing'_ he raised an eyebrow at her and she grinned suddenly at him. ' _Tell Shisui I shall miss him'_ She leaned over to give him a peck on the cheek before diving into the blue green waters. He sat there and felt her leave, the pull of his magic growing farther and farther away, watching as the sun cast its beautiful colors across the waters.

So I know this is really short, but it just seemed to work. I actually have plans to end this here. And before anybody gets mad about that I intend to continue this story line in a second installment. So look for it coming up in the future. This was supposed to be a way to work on my short stories, and I have already exceeded my 10,000 word goal so I will make the rest a second Delete repeated word

Thank you for all the reviews people have given me. My writing is not something I normally show to anyone so this has been a huge encouragement to me.

Drop me a line, tell me what you think.


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